Mealing said to Inside Soap: "I love Connie so was really sad to leave her behind in 2010 - but I had been working away from home for six-and-a-half years, and missed my children.

"When I first got the call from Casualty, I didn't think it was something I could do. The idea of being away from the family again was just too much.

"Then my husband suggested that we should all move to Cardiff together and make it an adventure - and I was over the moon. There was still so much with Connie and so many stories to tell. This has turned out to be the best thing ever."